Asaf Pirali

Areas of Interest

International, Media, Education

Honorary Award

Honorary Doctor of the University, 2007

Biography

Asaf Pirali is a pioneer of private higher level education for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, among the wealthiest and fastest-developing islands of the Caribbean. He founded the School of Accounting and Management (or SAM) in Trinidad to provide higher level education for the population of Trinidad and Tobago outside of the traditional university sector. In close collaboration with the Ashcroft International Business School, there are around 1,900 students studying for Anglia Ruskin awards via the School.

Asaf Pirali is a Chartered and a Cost Management Accountant. He holds a degree in Management, along with postgraduate awards in Business Information Technology and also in Construction Management. He also holds an MSc in Strategic Business Information Technology. In addition to his work at SAM, Asaf Pirali is a Church Leader and a regular broadcaster on various religious topics on television and radio.

In 2007 Asaf Pirali received the Honorary degree of Doctor of the University.

Citation

"The Senate of Anglia Ruskin University has great pleasure in recommending the award of Honorary Doctorate of the University to Asaf Pirali, a pioneer of private higher level education for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, one of the wealthiest and fastest-developing islands of the Caribbean.

23 years ago, Asaf Pirali founded the School of Accounting and Management (or SAM) in Trinidad. Its aim was, as it is now, to provide higher level education for the population of Trinidad and Tobago outside of the traditional university sector. For most of that time, SAM has worked with UK and other partner institutions to provide a portfolio of awards suitable to the emergent needs of the Trinidadian economy to both public and private sector organisations.

Currently SAM works with 4 university partners, the largest of which is Anglia Ruskin University through which a range of undergraduate business awards are offered in close collaboration with the Ashcroft International Business School. There are around 1900 students studying for Anglia Ruskin awards via the School.

Over the period of the close collaboration between SAM and the University, Asaf Pirali has maintained a clear vision for both SAM and the developing needs of the country. This has been recognised by the Trinidad and Tobago Government - SAM is one of the private sector colleges whose students have had their fees fully paid by the Government via its GATE scheme.

Asaf Pirali is a Chartered and a Cost Management Accountant. He also holds a Degree in Management, Postgraduate awards in Business Information Technology and also in Construction Management. He also holds an MSc in Strategic Business Information Technology. He attended an ILO Fellowship Programme 'Sharing British Training Expertise' designed for training specialist from beyond Britain conducted in 1981. In 1988 he attended Advanced Leadership Training Programmes conducted by Haggai Institute in Hawaii and Singapore. In 1991 he became International faculty of the same institution and has since been training Global Christian leaders.

In addition to his work at SAM, Asaf Pirali is a Church Leader and a regular broadcaster on various religious topics on television and radio. He is also chairman of the board of 3 companies including the only Christian radio station in Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr Pirali had been international advisor for 9 years to the Board of Directors of Hope international Limited. A charitable organisation involved in reforming street kids in Brazil. Most recently, Asaf Pirali has worked with the School on the wider social and economic problems of Trinidad and Tobago. These problems include high rates of crime, gangs, drugs and family breakdown. Just one example of this comes in the form of the SAM Symphony, a new school of music, which has been formed to try to harness and develop the creative talents of local people to turn them away from crime and disorder.

It is for his contribution to the development of private tertiary education in Trinidad and Tobago, for his contribution to the Ashcroft International Business School and for his wider contribution to social wellbeing that I hereby exercise the power conferred on me by Senate, to invite the Vice Chancellor to bestow the award of Honorary Doctor of the University to Asaf Pirali."